Wednesday, 1st August 2007 (3496 views)

Cancer diagnosis methods could receive a boost from new research into gold nanoparticles, it has emerged.

Researchers from Purdue University have formed gold nanoparticles capable of identifying marker proteins on breast cancer cells.

The technology is around three times cheaper than conventional detection methods, according to research leader Joseph Irudayaraj, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

"We hope that this technology will soon play a critical role in early detection and monitoring of breast cancer," Mr Irudayaraj said.

"Our goal is to see it in commercial use in about four years," he added.

The lead researcher explained that the development is aimed at regular monitoring techniques - vital, he pointed out, to the 40 per cent of US cancer patients who relapse.

According to a report in Chemical Science magazine, researchers at the University of Massachusetts recently discovered that nanoparticles with flexible side chains can persuade peptides to form an alpha-helix, mimicking interactions critical to the development of cancer and therefore contributing to the development of possible anti-cancer therapies.

 

« Back to the stories

 

The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.